USA > Pennsylvania > Armstrong County > Armstrong County, Pennsylvania her people past and present, embracing a history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, Volume I > Part 78
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Rev. Dr. Joseph Painter was installed Nov.
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Mayers' successor, and having accepted the brothers accompanying him to this country, call was on Nov. 3, 1909, installed and placed Abraham and Jacob. Settling in Northamp- ton county, Pa., near Nazareth, in the section known as "Drylands," he obtained a grant of lands from the Penns, and lived there for many years. During the Revolution he served the Colonial cause as a corporal in Capt. George Nolf's company. He was a member of the Reformed Church at Hecktown, North- anipton county. Along about 1791 he emi- grated with his family to Westmoreland county, Pa., settling in Mount Pleasant town- ship, where he died in the year 1807. He mar- ried a Miss Hartzell, and had children as fol- lows: Jonathan, George Adam, John, Henry, David, Magdalene (married Nicholas Weit- zel), Catharine (married John Speilman) , Christina (married Jacob Wolf) and Regina (married Isaac Townsend). in charge of its affairs, a responsibility which at that time carried more than the ordinary burdens by reason of the calamity which had recently befallen the congregation. The task of planning a new building and gathering the necessary funds fell largely to him, and though these elements much complicated the proposi- tion before him he went to work heartily, with a vigor which promised well and which has not disappointed his congregation. It is worthy of note that the work of taking down the stone walls left standing by the fire began March 7, 1910, a year after the fire, and the work of rebuilding started April 2, 1910, just a year to the day before the dedication. The laying of the corner-stone took place June 5, 1910, nearly twenty years after the dedication of the former building. The cost of the pres- ent church, $110,000, exclusive of the material saved from the old church, and the expensive memorial windows, was all pledged and paid on the day of dedication. The six hundred members on the roll when Dr. Hutchison came have been augmented fifty per cent, there be- ing now nine hundred, and the Sabbath school membership is the largest in the county. The present officers of the church are: Elders, Findley P. Wolff, John D. Galbraith, Paul L. McKenrick, E. Taylor Hutchison, A. L. Ivory, O. N. Wilson, James G. Mccullough, Andrew Brymer, William H. Leard, R. A. McCul- lough, Dr. Russell Rudolph, M. L. Bowser, Frank M. Shubert. Trustees : E. E. Kinter, J. P. Culbertson, Harry R. Gault, John S.
George Adam King, son of Mathias, born Feb. 11, 1765, in Nazareth township, North- ampton Co., Pa., died April 2, 1843, in Kittan- ning (now Burrell) township, Armstrong county. About 1791 he removed with his father to Westmoreland county, and prior to 1800, probably about 1796, settled in what is now Armstrong county. As early as 1812 he purchased a part of what is now the Abra- ham Bush heirs' farm in Burrell township, later purchasing 139 acres in what was then known as Pine township, this county, and was still the owner of both tracts at the time of his death. Farming was his occupation. He was the first constable of Kittanning township, serving in 1807-08-09. Mr. King was one of twelve men who, with their wives, organized Porter, E. S. Hutchison, H. G. Gates, H. A. St. Michael's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Arnold, Boyd S. Henry, Samuel H. McCain. Deacons : Harry McClure, Boyd S. Henry, Roland B. Simpson, James M. Stone, Lamont Bixler, Charles Dargue. Treasurer: Chris. K. Leard.
HON. JAMES WESLEY KING, Presi- dent Judge of Armstrong county, has attained a degree of distinction in his profession which is adding prestige to a name honored in Arm- strong county for four generations. He was born here Sept. 29, 1859, on the old King farm in Burrell township belonging to his father, and adjoining that of his grandfather, John King.
Burrell township in 1806. His first wife, Ma- ria Catharine (George), who was born Oct. 25. 1768, daughter of Conrad and Susan George, of Nazareth, Northampton county, died about 1830, and in 1832 he married Mar- garet Shoemaker, a widow. He and his first wife are buried in the old graveyard on the Abraham Bush farm, which he owned. To them were born: Abraham, 1785; Isaac. 1786; John Jacob, 1788: John, 1790; Chris- tiana, 1792; Henry, 1794: Thomas; Solomon, 1798: Susannah.
John King, son of George Adam. born March 27, 1790, in Nazareth township, North- ampton Co., Pa. ( sponsors at baptism Johannes König and his wife Catharine), came to West- moreland county with his father and grand- father about 1791, and later to Armstrong county with his father. He was a farmer. tailor and cooper, owned real estate in Kit-
The Kings are of German origin, the name in old records being König, and in the Penn- sylvania Archives it appears as Koenig. Ma- thias King, the Judge's great-great-grandfa- ther, a native of Germany, came to America in the year 1751 in the ship "Janet," two tanning township, and was a man of consid-
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ACTOR L NOY TILDEL FOUNDATIONS
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
erable prominence in the community in which he lived, being quite active in public affairs. He was a member of St. Michael's Evangeli- cal Lutheran Church. Mr. King was some- what of a scholar and literary man, as is evi- denced by the library he owned at the time of his death, the appraisement list of his es- tate showing over one hundred volumes, among which were four volumes of Gold- smith's "Animated Nature," two volumes of Shakespeare, three volumes of "Scottish Chiefs," the "Pickwick Papers," Burns's Poems, Aesop's Fables, "Thaddeus of War- saw," the "Vicar of Wakefield," "Luther's Life and Commentary," Buck's Theological Dictionary, "Horseshoe Robinson," "Lyonell," "Robin Hood," "Naval Officers," "Children of the Abbey," and many more of travel, history, literature, science, religion and romance. He owned the farm where Samuel Albert King now lives, in Burrell township, which upon his death vested in his son John, and descended from John to Samuel Albert.
John King married Susannah Heilman, who was born Aug. 8, 1788, daughter of Peter Heilman, and died July 18, 1851. He died in 1848, and they are buried in St. Michael's Lu- theran Church cemetery. They were the parents' of eleven children, and the following record kept by John King shows their names and respective dates of birth: "1811 Sunday February the 24th Mary Anne King was born in the sign of the fishes. 1812 Wednesday De- cember the 23d George King was born in the sign of the virgin. 1814 Tuesday August the 2nd Gideon King was born in the sign of the fishes. 1816 Sunday May the 5th John King was born in the sign of the lion. 1818 Sun- day March the Ist Selim King was born in the sign of the archer. 1820 Thursday Janu- ary the 6th Selim King died aged one year ten months and six days. 1820 Monday January the 17th Esther King was born in the sign of the waterbearer. 1821 Thursday October the 18th Susannah King was born in the sign of the lion. 1823 Saturday September the 13th Lydia King was born in the sign of the goat. 1823 Monday September the 15th Lydia King died aged two days. 1824 Thursday August the 26th Eve King was born in the sign of the virgin. 1827 Friday the 6th day of July Helen King was born in the sign of the archer. 1829 Tuesday the 8th day of September Flora King was born in the sign of the goat."
The record from which the above is quoted goes on to 1846, viz .: "1832 April 10th, John Heffelfinger and Mary Anne King were mar- ried. 1833 January 2Ist Lydia and Susannah 26
twins born in the sign of the waterbearer. 1834 October 17th Reuben was born in the sign of the ram. 1836 November 6th George Washington was born in the sign of the vir- gin .- Of John Heffelfinger. 1837 April 13th George King and Mary Fiscus were married. 1838 March 8th, Gideon King and Mary Wolf were married. 1838 March 25th Caroline Emilia King was born in the sign of the fishes. 1839 April 3d Maria Heffelfinger was born in the sign of the archer. 1839 June 5th Huldah Jane was born in the sign of the fishes .- Gid- eon King. 1840 February 13th, John King and Cristina Wolf were married. 1840 Mon- day October 26th Lucetta Amanda was born in the sign of the scorpion .- George King. 1840 Monday November 30th Susannah King was born in the sign of the waterbearer .- Of Gideon. 1840 Monday the 28th December Belinda Eveline was born in the sign of the fishes .- Of John. 1842 Friday IIth day of February Esther was born in the sign of the fishes .- John Heffelfinger. 1842 Thursday the 25th of August a daughter born to John King, Jr. 'Died the Friday 2nd of September following. 1842 Monday the 19th of Septem- ber Priscilla was born in the sign of the fishes .- Gideon King. 1842 November the 15th Tuesday John Woodside and Esther King were married by Reverend W. J. H. Bernheim, minister of the gospel. 1843 Tuesday Feb- ruary the 14th Susannah Nancy was born in the sign of the lion .- George King. 1843 Thursday the 2nd day of March Michael Shall and Susannah King were married by the Rev- erend J. H. Bernheim. 1843 March 12th John Woodside died aged 22 years one month and 14 days. 1843 Friday 30th day of June John Handcock Wolf was born in the sign of the lion .- Of John. 1843 Wednesday 20th of September Belinda Evilina died aged 2 years 8 months and 23 days. 1844 Wednesday the 6th day of March John King Shall was born in the sign of the scales. 1844 Monday the 3d day of June Isabella King was born in the sign of the goat .- Of Gideon. 1845 Thursday May 15th Robert Shall and Eve King were married by Isaac Kinnard Esquire. 1845 Mon- day the 18th of August George Williams King was born in the sign of the fishes .- Of John. 1845 Thursday October 9th Isaac Fitzgerald and Esther Woodside were married by Thomas Caldwell Esquire. 1845 Sunday Oc- tober 19 David Luther was born in the sign of the twins .- Of George. 1845 Tuesday 23d of December Jackson Heffelfinger was born in the sign of the scales. 1846 February the 11th Wednesday Sarah Ann Shall was born in the
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
sign of the lion .- Of Robert Shall. 1846 ton E. (deceased) and Jesse J. King. (2) Sunday the 27th of September Selina Fitz- gerald was born in the sign of the archer."
George King, son of John, was born Dec. 23, 1812, in Kittanning township, Armstrong county, on what is known as the Stacy Thomas farm, on a plot of land now owned by John Lease. He attended the subscription schools of his day and had a very good common edu- cation. For a number of years he taught school in Kittanning township, and was es- teemed one of the best teachers of his time. He was exceptionally strong in mathematics, was a prolific reader, and was quite at home in the use of the German language and also Pennsylvania Dutch, as well as the English, being able to read and converse in the Ger- man. Some time after his marriage he em- barked in the mercantile business, but was not inclined to follow this line and soon after abandoned it, engaged in farming, which he continued the remainder. of his life. He owned a farm of 207 acres about a mile southwest of Brick Church (St. Michael's) in Burrell township, where he lived for more than forty years and on which he died July 11, 1898. A part of the farm on which is the dwelling house where he lived and died, is now owned by Thomas Lemon. Ile was a great reader, was active in political affairs, was a Democrat all his life, filled many township offices, and was once candidate for county commissioner. He was always an active, devoted churchman. Like his father he was a lover of books and had quite an extensive library. His hospitality was known to all, and many of the prominent men of the county were accustomed to visit him and were always welcomed and provided with the best that a country home could afford.
"Lucetta Amanda King was born on the 26th day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand, eight hundred and forty at 4 o'clock in the evening, in the sign of the scorpion, in Plumcreek Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania." She married Henry Rupert and (second) Samuel Woodward, and by her first husband had the following children : Belle, Elizabeth, Homer H., Amanda, Susannah, Alice, Martha, John B., George and William. (3) "Susannah Nancy King was born on the 14th day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-three at 4 o'clock in the morning, in the sign of the Ram, in Kittanning Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania," and died Dec. 28, 1912. She married Joseph M. Richard and a Mr. McMunn, and by the first union had children: James (deceased), Nora Belle, Katharine, John, Walter and Lillie. (4) "Da- vid Luther King was born on the 19th day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty five at half past 3 o'clock in the evening in the sign of the twins. Kittanning Township, Armstrong County, State of Pennsylvania." He married Mary Ann Irwin, and they had children, Belle, Mayme, George Irwin (born Feb. 8, 1878) and Chester. (5) "John Bunyan King was born on the twenty-sixth day of March, Sun- day, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty eight at forty five minutes before nine o'clock in the morning in the sign of the bowman, in Kittanning Town- ship, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania." He died Aug. 26, 1892. He married Amanda J. Ashbaugh, and they had two children, Luella (deceased) and Welty Sarver (born Sept. 22, 1880). (6) "George Adam King was born on the fifteenth day of August on Thursday in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty, at cleven o'clock in the evening, in the sign of the bowman, Kittan- ning Township, Armstrong County, Pennsyl- vania." "George Adam King died November the first A. D. 1851, aged one year two months and 16 days. Blessed are the dead, that die in the Lord." (7) "1852 September 9th a daughter was born to G. and Mary King at half past 12 o'clock at noon. Died in about fifteen minutes. Blessed be the Lord, forever, Amen and Amen." (8) "Aaron Calvin King was born on the 22nd day of April in the year of our Lord A. D. 1854. at half past four
On April 13, 1837, Mr. King married Mary Ann Fiscus, born March 16, 1820, died Jan. 19, 1897. She was a daughter of William Fiscus. Mr. and Mrs. King are buried in St. Michael's Lutheran Church cemetery in Bur- rell township, of which church they were life- long members. To them was born a family of eleven children, of whom we give the fol- lowing record, the quoted portions being from the family record kept by George King: (1) "Caroline Amelia King was born on the 25th day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight at half past 9 o'clock in the morning in the sign of the fishes, in Kittanning Township, Arm- strong County, Pennsylvania." She died March 30, 1889, and is buried in St. Michael's o'clock in the evening in the sign of the fishes. Lutheran Church cemetery. She married John In Kittanning Township. Armstrong County, Robb, and had children, Estella, Eunice, Mil- Pennsylvania." He married Angeline Altman,
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and they had children, Bertha (deceased), the election he won by six thousand votes. Effie, Charles, Vernon and Paul. (9) "Mary Conscientious, honorable, without pretense, and sincere in his desire to serve the people who have given such flattering evidence of their confidence, the high principles, Christian character and love of justice he has inherited from a line of patriotic and public-spirited an- cestors should bear him through a creditable term. Ann King was born on Sunday in the sign of the Scorpion, the 12th of April A. D. 1857 at half past 12 o'clock in the evening in Burrel Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania." She married George J. Heilman, and they had children, Gertrude and Holmes W. (10) "James Wesley King was born on Thursday September the 29th 1859 at eight o'clock in the morning in the sign of the scorpion, in Burrel Township, Armstrong County, State of Pennsylvania." (II) "1863 May the 27th a son was born to Geo. and Mary King at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, lived 22 hours. Blessed are the youth or infants that die in the Lord. Amen."
On May 25, 1887, Mr. King was married to Ida Lillian Cooper, who was born in New Bethlehem, Clarion Co., Pa., daughter of John and Sarah (Roll) Cooper, and granddaughter of Naboth Cooper, of Chester county, Pa., a half-brother of James Fenimore Cooper, the celebrated author. The Cooper family is of English origin, and the first ancestor in this country came from Stratford on Avon, the home of Shakespeare, in the seventeenth cen- tury, to Philadelphia. John Cooper, Mrs. King's father, was born in Chester county April 24, 1821, and died March 10, 1914. Mov- ing to Clarion county, he was a miller at New Bethlehem for years, later coming to Arm- strong county, where he purchased the Coch- ran grist mills in Burrell township. His mill burning down he went to Leechburg for a brief period and then to Allegheny county, where he purchased and ran a mill at Oakdale, until he retired from active life some ten years ago. His death occurred there. His wife was a native of Clarion county and member of an old family of that section.
James Wesley King was brought up in Bur- rell township and began his education in the local district school. Then he attended pre- paratory school at Leechburg, the Leechburg Normal Institute, where he was under the in- struction of Professor Duff, and following this taught school in Armstrong county for four winter terms, to earn the money necessary to enter Thiel College, at Greenville, Mercer Co., Pa. He was a student there for two years, following which he began the study of law, in 1883, under E. S. Golden, of Kittanning, in his day considered the best all-around law- yer in Armstrong county. Mr. King was ad- mitted to the bar in Armstrong county in May, 1886, and has practiced law here ever since. Owing to his experience as a teacher he has Mr. and Mrs. King have had two children : James Perry, born March 8, 1889, has been a resident at Pennsylvania College, and is now studying law ; Fenimore Cooper, born April 24, 1891, is a student. Judge King and his wife are members of the Lutheran Church, and for many years he has been active in Sun- day school work, being now superintendent of the Sunday school of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kittanning borough. The Judge has some of his grandfather's old books in his library, and treasures them highly. always taken a deep interest in educational matters, and has served several terms as a member of the school board. For more than ten years he served as chairman of the Demo- cratic central committee, and he has been sent as a delegate to county and State conventions. He was one time on his party ticket as a can- didate for the Legislature, and in 1909 was its choice for President Judge of Armstrong county, running against Judge W. D. Patton. His personal popularity was shown by the fact that he was defeated by only sixteen votes, in a county that usually gives a Republican ma- JOHN GEORGE AYE has been a resident of Bethel township, Armstrong county, for many years, and is one of the prosperous farmers of that section. He has held various township offices, and is a citizen of honorable standing whose worth is universally recog- nized. Mr. Aye was born April 14, 1845, in the city of Allegheny, Pa. His parents, George . and Barbara (Schafer) Aye, were Germans, jority of from 2,000 to 2,500 votes. On Sept. 16, 1913, he was again nominated, and he was elected in November by an overwhelming ma- jority. The non-partisan ballot law, enacted in 1913, provides that the candidate receiving the majority of votes cast at the primaries in the judicial district is entitled to have his name alone printed on the official ballot, and Mr. King having received a majority of 1,223- born in Obermondstadt, Bavaria, and his the only candidate to get a majority of all the grandfather, also named George, was a con- votes cast-was thus alone on the ticket. At tractor in Germany, where the name was
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spelled Öh or Oeh. The family is of ancient origin.
George and Barbara (Schafer) Aye came to this country in 1833. Settling near Freeport, Armstrong Co., Pa., Mr. Aye worked as a farmer, and later lived in Allegheny City for a number of years. He then moved to near what is now known as the Red Mill, in Kit- tanning township, Armstrong county, onto what is called the Billy Love farm, and thence to what was known as the Ross farm near Rosston, Armstrong county, on which place he died in 1873, aged sixty-two years. He and his wife were members of the Lutheran Church at Kittanning. They had a family of eleven children, seven sons and four daugh- ters, all but the eldest born in the United States, viz .: Margaret, who married John Lindeman; Catherine, married to William Schwem; Elizabeth, wife of Philip Weaver; John George; Frederick, of Kittanning, en- gaged in the grocery business; Marcus, who died when seventeen years old; Thomas, of Beaver Falls, Pa., who married Sallie Wil- liams; Albert A., of Kittanning, who married Emma Deane; Mary, unmarried; George, a farmer, living in the old homestead in Manor township, unmarried ; and Augustus, who mar- ried Minnie Fehrer, and lives at Wickboro.
John George Aye is early life learned the trade of cooper. He moved with the family to a farm in Manor township, this county, purchased after the death of his father, and for a few years ran a huckster wagon, during that time meeting his future wife. Farming has
John Jacob Heilman, of Zutzenhausen, in the Palatinate, Germany, came to America in 1732, and to "Lebanon" township, Lancaster been his principal occupation, however, and Co., Pa., and died there in 1753, leaving a he has lived at his present place in Bethel wife, Anna Maria. Among their children were: John Adam, born in 1715; Peter, who married and had children; and Anastatia or Anastatius. township for twenty-seven years. He has taken considerable interest in local public affairs, has been overseer of the poor, and for several years has served as tax collector. He was formerly a Republican, but is now a Democrat in political sentiment. In religious connection the family are members of the, Lutheran Church, belonging to the Bethel congregation.
On May 4, 1876, Mr. Aye was married to Katherine A. Heilman, of Kittanning town- ship, a native of Armstrong county, Pennsyl- vania, and one of the eight children born to Solomon and Elizabeth (Schreckengost ) Heilman. Mr. and Mrs. Aye had two sons : Thomas Lee, born March 30, 1877, who is a physician, in practice at Kelly Station, Arm- strong county ; and William George, born Nov. 13, 1862, who is a civil engineer by profession.
able standing. Mrs. Aye's great-grandfather, Peter Heilman, moved into this region from Northampton county, Pa. We find that their ancient ancestor was an eminent physician, "Veit, the Heilman" (literally cure-man, "heil" being the German for "heal"). He lived in 1305, during an era when a man bore but a single name and was often distinguished by the name of his occupation attached to that name. Through usage the definitive word be- came the family name or surname, and his de- scendants have become known under the name Heilman or Heylman. In old Pennsylvania documents and records the name is found written also Hileman and Hyleman. About 1305 the Emperor Albright ( Albrecht, Albert) conferred knighthood on Veit the Heilman, granting him a diploma of nobility, and thence down to the sixteenth century the name is found in the German Genealogical Register. Many of his descendants were members of the German order of nobles, had their family coat of arms, and occupied many places of trust and honor as generals, feudal lords and church dignitaries. The home and achieve- ments were in the Rhine country. One of the descendants was a partner of Gutenberg, the inventor of printing, while another, Ludwig Heilman, in 1512 wrote a celebrated hymn of triumph upon the Reformation. Philipp Veit (1793-1877), the noted German painter, was of this stock.
The following Hilemans appear among the taxables of Dauphin county ; Johannes, 1732; Martin, 1732; John Peter. Aug. 17, 1732; Andrew, 1736; Hans Adam, 1749; Johannes, 1749; Conrad, 1752; Christian, 1753; Martin, 1764.
One Peter, born 1715, married Barbara and died in 1778, and had Anastatius, Peter, Mag- (lalena, Elizabeth (Mrs. Fisher), Cordelia or Christina (Mrs. Lach or Lough), Sophia, Henry, John George, John and Catherine (Stover).
Peter and Elizabeth (Harter) Heilman, who came with their family in 1795-96 to what was known as the Peter Heilman tract, in Kittanning township, had twelve children, Gertrude (Mrs. Jacob Piser), Christina ( Mrs.
Mrs. Aye's parents and grandparents were all of German descent, and both the Heilmans and the Schreckengosts are of old and honor- Joseph Piser), Mary ( Mrs. Frederick Tarr),
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